Are you ready for the ultimate classic rock quiz? Let’s see how well you know your rock music with these fun and challenging trivia questions. From The Beatles to KISS, this quiz covers all things classic rock. And while you’re answering questions, you can learn some fun trivia, too. Enjoy the musical ride!
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Who was the lead singer of The Doors
1/39
Jim Morrison
Morrissey
Eric Clapton
Steven Tyler
Jim Morrison was a singer, musician, songwriter and poet, and the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. He joined the “27 Club” when he died at the age of 27.
Tenor
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Which British rock icon famously had two differently colored eyes?
2/39
David Bowie
Boy George
Elton John
Sting
During a schoolyard fight, David Bowie suffered a Heterochromia, a condition which resulted in the right eye turning blue in appearance while a left one remained a darker shade of brown.
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The Gibson Les Paul is an iconic _____
3/39
Piano
Drum
Guitar
Flute
The 1950’s Gibson Les Pauls can range in value from $10,000 to $400,000.
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Which song has these lyrics: “Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame…”?
4/39
Jon Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name
Poison – Talk Dirty to Me
Kiss – I Was Made for Loving You
Aersomith – Janie’s Got a Gun
The song was originally written for Bonnie Tyler under the title “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)” with different lyrics.
Reddit
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“Born in the USA” was sung by…?
5/39
Jimi Hendrix
Bruce Springsteen
Eric Clapton
Billy Joel
The song was written in 1981 as the title song for a film that Paul Schrader was going to make, and Springsteen was considering starring in (Light of Day starring Michael J. Fox).
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CCR stands for…
6/39Canadian Country Rockers
Classic Country Rock
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Crazy Classic Rockstars
Creedence Clearwater Revival became famous for their southern-inspired, bluegrass-type sound. But they actually originated in the area around San Francisco.
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The four original members of the Beatles were: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and _____
7/39Keith Moon
Pete Best
Ringo Starr
John Lennon
Pete Best was the band’s original drummer. Ringo Starr only replaced him in 1962.
Tenor
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“____ on the water, a fire in the sky”
8/39Smoke
Fire
Clouds
Birds
Deep Purple’s opening riff on “Smoke On The Water”
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Who was the female singer in Fleetwood Mac?
9/39
Dusty Springfield
Stevie Nicks
Patti Smith
Cyndi Lauper
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham began dating in the late 1960s, but broke up by the time Fleetwood Mac worked on Rumours.
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U2 was formed in…
10/39Canada
USA
Ireland
Australia
U2 is an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.
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Jimmy Page was the guitarist for which band?
11/39Led Zeppelin
Cream
Aerosmith
The Rolling Stones
James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who became famous as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
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Finish this lyric: “Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place), Such a lovely __________”
12/39Place
Face
Space
Chase
Many believe that “Hotel California” is a song about drug addiction, while others say it’s a song about a mental hospital, or devil worship.
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Which band featured Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel?
13/39Duran Duran
REM
The Cure
Genesis
Genesis was formed in 1967; Phil Collins only joined as the drummer in 1970. He actually auditioned at Peter Gabriel’s parents’ house.
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When did the band Eagles form?
14/391971
1951
1960
1991
The Eagles formed in Los Angeles in 1971 and became one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in North America.
Gifer
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Finish the lyrics: “Get your motor __ / Head out on the highway”
15/39Gunnin’
Runnin’
Speedin’
Goin’
Steppenwolf’s opening lyrics to “Born To Be Wild” say, “Get your motor runnin'” which is also the motto of the motorcycle-riding adventurers of the hippie generation.
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16/39
Which band sang the classic rock song, ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’?
Queen
The Beatles
Crosby, Stills & Nash
The Animals
Queen guitarist Brian May wrote this song about a young man who comes to appreciate women of substantial girth. “I wrote it with Fred in mind, as you do especially if you’ve got a great singer who likes fat bottomed girls… or boys.”
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17/39
Which pioneer of Rock wrote Johnny B. Goode?
Little Richard
Chuck Berry
James Brown
Muddy Waters
The 1958 song was first written and recorded by Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit, peaking at number two on Billboard magazine’s Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its Hot 100 chart.
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Which Beatles’ song features the lyrics, “When I was young, so much younger than today”?
18/39Help!
Eight Days a Week
Yellow Submarine
Hard Day’s Night
Help! was written by John Lennon with some help from Paul McCartney. Lennon said, “The whole Beatles thing was just beyond comprehension. I was subconsciously crying out for help”.
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Finish the lyrics: “I don’t need to fight/ To prove I’m____”
19/39Here
Cool
Right
Tight
The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” includes the lyrics, “I don’t need to fight/To prove I’m right” which is a sentiment of the times when they wrote it.
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Finish the lyrics: “There’s a lady who’s sure/ All that glitters is ____
20/39Cold
Pure
Silver
Gold
Led Zeppelin’s classic “Stairway to Heaven” sings of a lady who’s sure that all that glitters is gold.
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21/39
Which song features the lyrics, “How does it feel / To be on your own / With no direction home / A complete unknown…”?
Don McLean – American Pie
Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone
Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire
Neil Young – Heart of Gold
Bob Dylan wrote Like a Rolling Stone in 1965 at the height of his fame. Legend has it that the first draft of this song was 10 pages long.
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Which of these is NOT a song by the Rolling Stones?
22/39Wild Horses
Satisfaction
Honky Tonk Women
Meet the Blues
The Rolling Stones created hit after hit, but they never wrote a song called “Meet the Blues”
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Which musician is considered the most influential electric guitarist?
23/39
Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Jimmy Page
Paul McCartney
Jimi Hendrix is considered “one of the most creative” and “influential musicians that has ever lived” and widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music.
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What does AC/DC stand for?
24/39After Christ/During Christ
Angel Count/Devil Count
Angel Country/Devil Country
Alternating Current/Direct Current
Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band’s name after their sister, Margaret Young, saw the initials “AC/DC” on a sewing machine.
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“I got a black magic __ / Got me so blind I can’t see”
25/39Doll
Boy
Woman
Witch
Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” was released in 1970.
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26/39
Who was the girl in Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” music video?
Brooke Shields
Bobbie Brown
Pamela Anderson
Christie Brinkley
Since her Cherry Pie Girl days, Bobbie Brown has starred in the 2012 reality show, “Ex-Wives of Rock.” She wrote a memoir called “Dirty Rocker Boys: Love and Lust on the Sunset Strip” in 2013.
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What was the name of the band both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were members of before forming Kiss?
27/39Wicked Lester
Kissing Cousins
Evil Canevil
The Jokers
Wicked Lester was based in New York and formed in 1970. Two notable members were bassist Gene Klein and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen, who later adopted the stage names Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
Tenor
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28/39
Which rock music soul singer was shot during a confrontation with an LA hotel manager?
Sam Cooke
Little Richard
Al Green
Keith Moon
On December 11, 1964, LAPD found musician Sam Cooke dead on the office floor, shot three times in the chest by the motel’s manager, Bertha Franklin.
Tenor
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29/39
Who was the girl in Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” music video?
Pamela Anderson
Kate Moss
Claudia Shiffer
Tawny Kitaen
Tawny Kitaen was iconic for dancing seductively on the hood of a sports car. She eventually married the band’s lead singer David Coverdale. They divorced two years later.
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30/39
Which girl was a muse for Eric Clapton’s “Lalya” as well as The Beatles’ “Something”?
Patti Boyd
Madonna
Carly Simon
Bianca Jagger
Pattie Boyd had 11 songs written about her by George Harrison and Eric Clapton. She dated Clapton and married Harrison.
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Who wrote the classic song sung by Janis Joplin, “Me and Bobby McGee”?
31/39
John Lennon
Kris Kristofferson
Chris Gaines
Bob Dylan
“Me and Bobby McGee” was written by Kristofferson and first recorded by Roger Miller in 1969. Joplin recorded it shortly before her death at age 27.
Tenor
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32/39
Several members of which rock band were killed in a plane crash on October 20, 1977?
The Doors
The Who
Lynryd Skynryd
Pink Floyd
Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant died on impact, as well as guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray.
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33/39
Which song has these lyrics: “Shed a tear cause I’m missing you…”?
Guns N’ Roses – Patience
Metallica – One
Bryan Adams – Run to You
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me
The motivation for the song is generally seen to be the troublesome relationship between Axl Rose and his now ex-wife Erin Everly. According to bass guitarist Duff McKagan, “Axl came up with a great lyric, seemingly out of nowhere, that of course became the story and melody of that song.”
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Before he made it big with “Walk on the Wild Side”, Lou Reed was a member of which cult band?
34/39Blue Oyster Cult
The Animals
Jefferson Airplane
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was the house-band for Andy Warhol’s “Factory” studio in New York City. They released an album “The Velvet Underground & Nico” which is now recognized as a classic of the genre.
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Which Guns n Roses guitarist performs the guitar solo on ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’?
35/39DJ Ashba
Slash
Ron Thal
Paul Tobias
“Sweet Child o’ Mine” sits at number 37 on Guitar World’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Solos.”
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According to the music charts, Queen’s best-selling single was…
36/39Under Pressure
Bohemian Rhapsody
We Are the Champions
Radio Gaga
It was the only song to have made it to Christmas Number 1 twice – first in 1975, then 16 years later, after Freddie’s death. It’s also one of the UK’s biggest singles of all time, with 2.6 million sales.
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What was the name of Keith Moon’s only solo album?
37/39Two Sides of the Moon
A Perfect Moon
On the Dark Side of the Moon
A Full Moon
Two Sides of the Moon is the one and only solo album by Keith Moon, drummer for The Who. The album title was credited to Ringo Starr.
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What was the name of the founding member of Pink Floyd who was replaced by David Gilmour?
38/39Roger Waters
Richard Wright
Nick Mason
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett was the original Pink Floyd frontman and primary songwriter known for his whimsical take on psychedelia and stream-of-consciousness writing style.
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Which classic rock album is sometimes said to be a soundtrack to The Wizard of Oz?
39/39Abbey Road
Back in Black
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Wall
Some say that Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon lines up perfectly with the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, producing moments where the movie and the album seem to correspond with each other. Drummer Nick Mason told MTV in 1997, “It’s absolute nonsense. It has nothing to do with The Wizard of Oz. It was all based on The Sound of Music.”
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